African names

afrochick09

Not "african american", African. Dh and I would like to name our child with an African name or possibly use one as a middle name. We met overseas and plan to return. When over there a lot of the locals struggled with our names, and gave us new ones. So, we'd like our kids to already have African names to use when overseas. Thus far online searches have showed names I didn't commonly hear. Does anyone know of any? There's some I love but just wouldn't work in America. Ex. Fatu. Poor kid would get teased all the time. 

plunderb

Africa is a whole continent. Are there any particular places/countries/languages that are particularly meaningful to you?

magpie1127

My favorite African name for a girl is Nnenna. I don't know of any male names, though!

https://www.behindthename.com/name/nnenna

afrochick09

Guinea-Bissau, Gambia, and Southern Senegal. More commonly used languages in those area's are Mandinka and Creole (Portuguese based).

GrayGhost13

I would look at naming sites and books to get some ideas, then narrow it down based on what you like (and as pp mentioned picking ones that are relevant to the regions or dialects that mean the most to you). For example, Behind the Name has 314 African names listed here.

I don't know a lot of traditional African names, but the name Zuri has really grown on me lately. I heard it on a Disney channel character, but apparently, it's a real name in Swahili.

afrochick09

We also want one that has a meaning to it. When we were over there, most people didn't know the meaning of the names (or couldn't explain it in english) or the meanings were negative. 

Zimger

I agree with the pp. I really like Nnenna. It has a nice meaning also. However, I'm not sure if it is what you are looking for.

I do know a woman whose name is Nnenna. She does have some issue with the pronunciation in the US but the name really fits her and she likes it.

plunderb

Since most of that region is Muslim, it seems like you might have good luck with a name that has close Hebrew and Arabic equivalents ? something like Abraham/Ibrahim, Solomon/Souleyman, or Miriam/Mariam. Those sorts of names travel really well. Since you have spent time there, do you have any friends whose names you loved or who you might want to honor?

One of my all-time favorite West African names is Phibba, but as far as I know, that's more from Ghana/Cote d'Ivoire. I've come across several women in my work who went by Phibba/Phoebe depending on the situation, and I love both.

afrochick09

plunderb:

Since most of that region is Muslim, it seems like you might have good luck with a name that has close Hebrew and Arabic equivalents ? something like Abraham/Ibrahim, Solomon/Souleyman, or Miriam/Mariam. Those sorts of names travel really well. Since you have spent time there, do you have any friends whose names you loved or who you might want to honor?

One of my all-time favorite West African names is Phibba, but as far as I know, that's more from Ghana/Cote d'Ivoire. I've come across several women in my work who went by Phibba/Phoebe depending on the situation, and I love both.

The area we primarily stay has few muslim actually. That's more of the Gambia and Senegal then Guinea-Bissau.  I like Miriama but am not a fan of Abraham. Had a bad experience with an Abrima, ick.  

There's people we'd love to honor by naming our kids after them, but again don't know the meaning, some of which not even the spelling. I have never heard the Phibba, but it is very pretty. I love the name Samuel (pronounced Sam-Well) but no one will pronounce it the way I like here in the US, lol.  

526SadieSadie

breezalina82:

We also want one that has a meaning to it. When we were over there, most people didn't know the meaning of the names (or couldn't explain it in english) or the meanings were negative. 

https://resourcepage.gambia.dk/names.htm

I found these, but I have no idea how accurate the list is.

Were there any people who made a huge impression on you while you were there?  Why not use their names as a tribute?  If the difficult to pronounce African name is in the middle name spot, it will reduce the chances of teasing and pretty much eliminate the pronounciation problem.

I knew a Senegalese woman named Yara, simple and easy to pronounce.

afrochick09

526SadieSadie:

breezalina82:

We also want one that has a meaning to it. When we were over there, most people didn't know the meaning of the names (or couldn't explain it in english) or the meanings were negative. 

I knew a Senegalese woman named Yara, simple and easy to pronounce.

That's one of the names we'll consider if we're having a girl! One of the ladies I was really close to (originally from Senegal) had that name. Just made my day that you know someone from Senegal. 

afrochick09

And thanks for the Gambian list. Very good list of names I commonly heard.

CeCe8579

All of these are Eastern African names!

Girls

Desta meaning joy
Imani meaning faith
Makena meaning happy one
Nia meaning purpose
Zuri meaning beautiful


Boys

Jelani meaning mighty
Kibwe meaning blessed
Tafari meaning he who inspires awe
Tendaji meaning makes things happy
Zuberi meaning strong

HTH!

GTown08

In high school, we had some girls who were originally from Malawi.  Their names were Chifuniro and Yembeka.  So, I know they are African names, though I know nothing about what they mean. 

afrochick09

Iloveshanej:

All of these are Eastern African names! Girls Desta meaning joy Imani meaning faith Makena meaning happy one Nia meaning purpose Zuri meaning beautiful Boys Jelani meaning mighty Kibwe meaning blessed Tafari meaning he who inspires awe Tendaji meaning makes things happy Zuberi meaning strong HTH!

Oooh! These are fun. I love the meanings behind them too. Thanks!  

CeCe8579

breezalina82:

Iloveshanej:

All of these are Eastern African names!

Girls

Desta meaning joy
Imani meaning faith
Makena meaning happy one
Nia meaning purpose
Zuri meaning beautiful


Boys

Jelani meaning mighty
Kibwe meaning blessed
Tafari meaning he who inspires awe
Tendaji meaning makes things happy
Zuberi meaning strong

HTH!

Oooh! These are fun. I love the meanings behind them too. Thanks!  

You're welcome! My favorites are Nia and Jelani!

RedInLove

My BFF's DH is from Kenya, so their DD has two middle names - an American middle name and then a Kenyan middle name. Her Kenyan middle name followed a family tradition, I think it's the grandmother's middle name. 

My suggestion is to do something similar. Give your kids two middle names. For the African name, I would look for inspiration from where you have visited: cities/towns/villages you are fond of, families you were close with, etc. I think it should have some meaning, not just that it's African.

frome

My nephew's middle name is Babafemi, which means "loved by his father." I'm almost certain his dad's family is Nigerian.